Disposable nursing bottle



Sept. 25, 1962 R. M. COLEMAN, JR

IDISPOSABLE NURSING BOTTLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 1961' INV ENTOR ATTORNEYS w i M W M f 5 w w W a G M H M f m 5 i:i:::;:i1:.12: J y w Ww E 2\/\ El Q (N [k l. I ll fa \Krk I v H a wfw fl a w w EM Filed June14. 1961 pt 1962 R. M. COLEMAN, JR 3,055,525

' DISPOSABLE' NURSING BOTTLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 72 7 4p W 56 INVENIOR IROBERT M v 00135 Y BYWtQ fW ATTORNEYS United States Patent OfificePatented Sept. 25, 1962 3,055,525 DISPOSABLE NURSING BOTTLE Robert M.Coleman, Jr., 2933 McCarroll Drive,

Baton Rouge, La. Filed June 14, 1961, Ser. No. 117,018. 9 Claims. (Cl.21511) This invention relates to small flexible containers, and, mparucular, to an improved collapsible and disposable milk container foruse as an infants nursing bottle which is readily filled and sealedprior to use.

A known type of infants nursing bottle includes a relatively rigid outershell and a removable sterilized collapsible liner in the form of athinaw'alled plastic bag having a nipple extending from one end thereofand a hole for filling located near the other end. In use, the bag isinserted into the shell with the nipple projecting through a hole in theshell and is then filled with the desired liquid through the fillinghole which is thereafter sealed against leakage. The plastic bagcollapses as the liquid is withdrawn through the nipple thus avoidingthe necessity for venting air into the bag during nursing. After use,the bag is removed from the shell and disposed of, the said shell beingretained for use with a fresh bag. This type of nursing bottle isadvantageous in several respects, particularly in that the usual bottlesterilization procedure is avoided. However, some difficulties areencountered in filling the bag due to its flexible nature, ineffectively maintaining the sterile condition inside the bag prior toand during filling, and in sealing the bag after filling. In the presentinvention, an improved construction for the bag permits its interior tobe maintained sterile durstorageand during filling, and permits the bagto be easily filled and sealed with a minimum of effort. Broad- 1y, thisis accomplished by providing the filling end of the bag with arelatively long, flexible filling tube which communicates with thetapered end of a relatively rigid funnel. The mouth of the funnel issealed with a membrane for maintaining the funnel, tube and bag sterileand which may be ruptured or removed just prior to the fillingoperation. When full, the bag is sealed by closing the tube near itsjuncture with the bag. The funnel and the portion of the tube betweenthe funnel and the closure may then be cut or torn oif and discarded.After use, the bag may also be discarded.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide'an improved construction for a flexible, collapsible container whichpermits the container to be easily filled while effectively preventingcontamination of the interior.

It is a further object of the present invention to pro- .vide animproved construction for a flexible, collapsible container which may beeasily and effectively sealed after filling.

Another object is to provide an improved infants nursing bottle of thetype having an outer rigid shell and an inner collapsible, disposablebag, said bag being positively maintained sterile prior to and duringfilling, and in which the bag is easily and positively sealed afterfilling.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide acollapsible disposable bag for an infants nursing bottle which hasa'filling tube extending therefrom and communicating with a fillingfunnel which is maintained sealed until filling is commenced.

The invention will be more fully understood by referring to thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, half in section, of -a flexible milkcontainer embodying the principles of the present invention with afilling tube and funnel attached;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational sectional view of a rigid holder for theflexible milk container of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view partly in section of the flexible milkcontainer of FIGURE 1 within the rigid holder of FIGURE 2 and shows thefunnel and part of the filling tube removed from the container and thefree end of the filling tube sealed with a clip so that the assembly isready for use;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the milk container of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of a clip for use in closing the filling tube ofthe flexible milk container of the present invention;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the flexible milk container of FIGURE1 held in a filling position in a rack;

FIGURE 7 is an elevational view of a modified form of the flexible milkcontainer of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 8 is an elevational view partly in section of the milk containerof FIGURE 7 viewed from the right;

FIGURE 9 is a bottom view of the milk container of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 10 is a perspective View of the milk container of FIGURE 7 withina modified rigid holder; and,

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary sectional View of part of FIGURE 8.

Referring now to the drawings, particularly FIGURES 1-6, there is showna flexible milk container 10 and a relatively rigid holder 12 thereforembodying the principles of the present invention. Preferably, both thecontainer and the holder are constructed of semi transparent plasticsuch as polyethylene, the desired rig dity of the various parts beingachieved through variations in wall thickness.

The flexible milk container 10 of the present invention is an integrallyformed container including a thin-walled cylindrical body portion 14communicating through one end thereof with an end of an elongatedflexible filling tube 16 of smaller diameter than the body portion. Aconical portion 18 joins the filling tube to the body portion and isprovided with an external stiffening rim 20 at its juncture with thebody portion. The other end of the filling tube 16 is formed integrallywith the tapered end of a relatively thick-Walled, rigid funnel portion22 having an outwardly projecting radial flange 24 at its open end. Athin rupturable plastic membrane 26 covers the open end and is sealed tothe flange in air-tight rela tionship as by an adhesive or by theapplication of heat and pressure. The end of the body opposite thefilling tube communicates with a nipple portion 28 which includes afirst conical portion 30, a cylindrical portion 32, a second conicalportion 34 and a nipple 36. A thin radial flange 38, or looking rim,projects outwardly from the cylindrical portion 32 and a thin plasticcover 40 of, for example, polyethylene or cellophane, is secured overthe nipple 36 and second conical portion 34 and fastened to thecylindrical portion 32 .above the flange 38 by a rip tab 42 which isconventional in the packaging art. As seen in FIGURE 4, the end of thenipple 36 is provided with suitable openings 41 for the withdrawal ofmilk by an infant. If desired, the exterior of the wall of the body 14may be calibrated with suitable markings as at 43.

The milk container holder 12, as shown, is a hollow plastic cylinderhaving an inside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter ofthe milk container 10. A conical portion 44 is formed integrally withone end of the cylinder and is provided with a central circular opening46 therein having a diameter approximately that of the cylindricalportion 32 of the milk container 10. The interior contour of the conicalportion 44 of the holder 12 is complementary to the exterior contour ofthe first conical portion 38 of the container 10. As seen in FIG- URE 3the container may be inserted into the holder 12 through the bottomthereof and the flange 38 forced through the opening 46 so as to lockthe container to the holder. If desired, the holder 12 may be providedwith one or more apertures 45 to permit the milk container and itscalibration marks 43 to be seen.

FIGURE illustrates a clip 48 which may be used, as seen in FIGURE 3, toseal the filling tube 16 after the container has been filled. The clip48, as shown, includes two pairs of stiff legs extending in a commonplane from a base 50. One pair of legs consists of two short legs 52 and52 extending from the ends of the base 50 at right angles therefrom. Thesecond pair of legs consists of a long U-shaped member 54 and a slightlyshorter straight member 56 between the legs of the U-shaped member. Thelegs and base are conveniently formed integrally from plastic or thinmetal sheet. In use, the clip 48 is manipulated similarly to aconventional paper clip except that it is fastened to the filling tubein two stages. First, with the clip coplanar with and at a right angleto the filling tube, the ends of members 54 and 56 are placed onopposite sides of the tube and the clip is pushed approximately half wayto its end so that the end legs 52 are not yet in contact with the tube.Then the clip is rotated 180 about its longitudinal axis creating anS-shaped fold in the tube and is pushed further over the tube with oneof the legs 52, 52' on either side thereof. FIGURE 3 shows the clip ofFIGURE 5 which has been inserted half way over the filling tube 16 withmember 56 in front of and member 54 behind the tube, rotated 180 towardthe top of the drawing and then pushed further over the tube. Duringrotation of the clip two folds 58 and 60 are formed in the tube bymembers 54 and 52, respectively.

FIGURE 6 illustrates a rack 62 which may be provided to facilitatefilling of one or more milk containers 10. As shown, the rack mayconveniently include a base 64 having an upwardly projecting axial stem66 rigidly attached thereto and a disk 68 axially attached, prefer-.ably rotatably, to the upper end of the stem 66. The disk 68 isprovided with a plurality of radial cut-away portions 70 of suflicientsize to allow the funnels 22 of a plurality of milk containers to beinserted therein but small enough to prevent the flanges 24 on thefunnels from passing therethrough. A plurality of milk containers 10 maythereby be hung from the rack, nipple end down, by engagement of theflange 24 with the top surface of the disk 68. A knob 72 mayconveniently be attached axially to the upper surface of the disk 68 tofacilitate rotation thereof by grasping with the fingers.

FIGURES 7-11 illustrate a modified form of the milk container and holderof FIGURES 1-6 in which like parts are indicated by the same numeralwith the addition of a prime. The milk container 10 includes a flexible,thin-walled body portion 14' having a nipple portion 28' near one endthereof and communicating with a filling tube 16' with attached funnel22 near the other end. The filling tube 16 may be of suflicient lengthso that a knot 73 may be tied therein to seal the container afterfilling. Alternatively, the clip 48 may be used to seal tube 16'. Thenipple portion 28' includes a nipple 36 and a relatively rigid base 74extending slightly above the body portion and having a radial groove 76in the periphery thereof. A plastic cover 40' is provided over thenipple 36' and is sealed to the base 74 in any suitable manner. The openend of the funnel 22' is provided with a rupturable membrane 26 and anannular flange 24' for cooperation with the rack 62 of FIGURE 6.Additionally, the flange 24' is provided with a handle 78 projectingoutwardly therefrom, as shown in FIGURE 9, so that the container 10 maybe held in a filling position by the fingers, if desired.

The modified holder 12', as shown in FIGURE 10,

consists of a generally scoop-shaped member having suitable legs, as at80, for maintaining it in an upright position on a flat surface. Theinterior contour of the holder 12 is preferably complementary to theexterior of the milk container 10' and is provided with an aperture nearone end thereof having a radially projecting peripheral lip 82 which isadapted to mate with the groove 76 in the nipple base 74. As seen inFIGURES l0 and 11, the container 10 after being filled, sealed andplaced in the holder 12 so that the nipple 36 extends through theaperture in the holder, is held in position by engagement of the lip 82with the groove 76. The filling tube 16 trails over the upper edge ofthe holder 12, resting at its juncture with the body 14 in a notch 84which may be formed in the holder 12', if desired.

In use, the milk container 10 of FIGURES l-6 will be received by theuser from its place of manufacture with its interior sterilized andsealed from the atmosphere by the covers 40 and 26. The container may beempty if for use with formula or milk to be prepared by the user or itmay contain dry formula of various kinds. When it is desired to use thecontainer 10, it is hung on the rack 62 by means of the flange 24projecting from the funnel 22. Just prior to filling, the membrane 26 isruptured or removed to expose the open end of the funnel. The cover 28over the nipple 36 will normally be left in place during filling tomaintain the nipple sterile and to prevent leakage of the liquid fromthe container 10. Liquid may then readily be poured into the funnel 22from which it will flow through the filling tube 16 into the body 14.After the desired amount of liquid has been added, as indicated by thecalibration marks 43, the filling tube 16 is sealed with the clip 48intermediate the funnel and body as described above, and the remainderof the filling tube and the funnel are cut or torn off and discarded.The filled and sealed container 10 may then be inserted in the holder 12or may be stored for future use, leaving the cover 40 in place over thenipple.

When the filled container is to be used, it is inserted, nipple-endfirst, into the bottom of the holder 12. When the nipple projectsthrough the opening 46 in the conical end of the container, it isgrasped with the fingers and pulled so as to cause the flange 32 to passthrough the opening 46 thereby locking the container in the holder. Thecover 40 may then be removed by pulling the rip tab 42. When empty, thecontainer may be forced back out of the holder and discarded. The holderwill be retained for reuse with another filled container.

The modified milk container 10 illustrated in FIG- URES 7l1 may be heldin the filling position with the aid of the rack 62 or it may be heldwith the fingers by means of the handle 78 on the funnel 22'. In eithercase, the membrance 26' will be left intact until just prior to filling.After filling, the tube 16' may be sealed with the clip 48 or, since itslength is greater than that of tube 16, it may be sealed by the tying ofa simple knot 73 therein. The excess tube and the funnel 22 will then beremoved and discarded. The filled and sealed container 10 may then beinserted into its holder 12 by the method described above with respectto container 10 and holder 12 whereby the lip 82 on the holder 12engages the groove 76 in the nipple base 74. The cover 40' may then beremoved from the nipple 36'. After use, the empty container 10 may bediscarded.

While two preferred embodiments have been described and illustrated, thepresent invention is not intended to be limited to the specific detailsdisclosed except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A disposable bag for a nursing bottle of the type which includes anouter relatively rigid supporting shell and an inner flexible disposablebag for containing a liquid which comprises: a flexible collapsible bodyportion having a nipple portion projecting outwardly from a wallthereof; a flexible tubular portion of reduced crosssectioncommunicating at one end thereof with said body portion andcommunicating at the other end thereof with one end of a passage in arelatively rigid member, the other end of said passage being of greatertransverse crosssection than said tubular portion.

2. A disposable bag as in claim 1 further comprising removable sealingmembranes over said nipple and over said other end of said passagewhereby the inner surfaces of said body, tubular portion and said rigidmember are protected from contamination.

3. A disposable bag as in claim 1 in combination with compression meansfor closing said tubular portion intermediate said body portion and saidpassage.

4. A combination as in claim 3 in which said compression means includesa clip which comprises a base memher and two pairs of legs extendingtherefrom in a common plane, one of said pairs of legs including twoshort members extending from the ends of the base member and the otherpair of legs including a U-shaped member and a straight member betweenthe legs of the U-shaped memher.

5. A disposable bag as in claim 1 wherein said tubular portion has alength which permits said portion to be tied in a knot to thereby efiectclosure of said tubular portion.

6. A disposable bag as in claim 1 in which said relatively rigid memberand said passage are funnel-shaped and in which said tubular portioncommunicates with the tapered end of said passage.

7. A disposable bag as in claim 1 in which said relatively rigid memberhas a laterally projecting portion for engaging with a support member.

8. A disposable bag as in claim 7 in combination with rack means forengaging said projecting portion on said relatively rigid member wherebysaid flexible tubular portion will hang in a vertical position abovesaid body portion and below said passage.

9. An integral disposable plastic bag for a nursing bottle of the typewhich includes an outer relatively rigid supporting shell and an innerflexible disposable bag for containing a liquid which comprises: aflexible collapsible body portion, a nipple portion projecting from saidbody portion; a flexible tubular portion of reduced cross-sectioncommunicating at one end thereof with said body portion; a funnel meansdefining a funnel-shaped passage, the smaller end of said passagecommunicating with the other end of said flexible tubular portion; meansassociated with said nipple portion for locking said portion to an outerrelatively rigid supporting shell; and support means projectinglaterally from said funnel means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS412,396 Larkin Oct. 8, 1889 2,574,931 Nason Nov. 13, 1951 2,881,935Garred Apr. 14, 1959

